Mobile phones today include many applications such as text messaging functions, diaries, notepads and radios. Many mobile phones also include a camera function allowing a user to take photographs. Typically, the camera unit itself may be built into the mobile phone or may be attached to it. Mobile phones with camera functions are commonly referred to as camera phones.
When any digital imaging device, such as a camera phone is used to capture an image, the image is stored on the device in the device's internal memory. Usually, the memory is divided into a series of folders or files, each of which can be used to store images and other data. Some devices store a fixed number of images in a single folder assigned for images and then automatically create new folder for further images as each folder fills up. Alternatively, a user may arrange and store images into separate predefined folders after an image has been captured.
For example, when an image is captured on a camera phone, the image is displayed on the screen of the camera phone to allow the user to review the image and decide what they wish to do with it, usually, delete or save it. Whilst the image is displayed or sometime after the image has been displayed, the user is presented with a list of options available for handling the captured image. The user can utilise the menus and options displayed on the screen in conjunction with the navigation controls, which comprise the user interface of the camera phone, to manually specify a specific folder in which to store the captured image. The camera phone may also give the user the option to delete the image without storing it if the user does not want it.
For example, a user may have predefined folders marked “vacation”, “work”, “friends” and “miscellaneous”. After an image is captured, the user utilises the user interface on the camera phone to select the most suitable predefined folder and stores the image in that folder.
Alternatively, the user can transfer any captured images to an external storage device, such as a personal computer, and arrange and store the images on the other device.
Similar methods are also used to arrange images captured on other image capturing devices such as a digital camera or a computer with a camera function.
The present methods for arranging and storing images on a camera phone are onerous for the user as they require a series of steps to be manually performed by the user after an image has been captured.
It is the aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved method of handling images that at least partly mitigates some of the above problems.